(3) K-3 Illustrated by Miriam Latimer. Mr. Betts takes his eight pets to the vet, all with bad cases of spots. The cure leads to stripes, then to beards and other "disorders." The bouncing rhyming text and a catchy refrain (reminiscent of Millions of Cats) combine with expressive characters in the acrylic and collage illustrations to emphasize the absurdity of Mr. Betts's predicament.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) K-3 My First Fairy Tales series. Illustrated by Miriam Latimer. In these tame, mostly straightforward, and slightly simplified retellings of well-known traditional tales, Foxy Loxy, the Gingerbread Man, Rumpelstiltskin, and the wolf are all vanquished but not violently. The illustrations (each by a different artist) are bright and sunny with expressive cartoon characters. Printed on shiny, heavy-duty stock, the books will stand up to repeated readings. No sources or back matter are provided. Review covers the following My First Fairy Tales titles: Chicken Little, The Gingerbread Man, Rumpelstiltskin, and The Three Little Pigs.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Miriam Latimer. When a prince refuses his breakfast, his parents take him to India, Mexico, China, and Zambia to find other foods. He rejects everything until a Zambian man suggests a sauce that makes each dish delicious: ketchup. The lighthearted illustrations are well suited to this bouncy, tongue-in-cheek rhyming text. A CD narrated by actor Hugh Bonneville is included.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Miriam Latimer. Although Ruby couldn't be more excited about the idea of sleeping in a tent in the backyard with her friend Mai, her imagination takes her from her safe sleeping bag to some dark, scary places before she falls asleep. The rhymes hit a few potholes, but it's an eminently relatable premise, and the chiaroscuro in Latimer's art is astute.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Miriam Latimer. A "knight" (a kid with a colander on his head) wants to fight dragons using a sword; his mom won't let him. Her sunflower alternative is met with skepticism until the boy's imagination takes over. Sperring may have a pacifist agenda, but the preachiness is refreshingly minimal. Latimer gives the child's fantasy life a cartoonishly loose medieval treatment.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Miriam Latimer. Young Ruby, accompanied by her mother, embarks on an imaginative walk to school. The challenging route includes--in Ruby's mind--fierce crocodiles, haunted houses, swooping bats, menacing tigers, and forest beasts. Acrylic paints and bright watercolors assist the jaunty rhyming text (refrain: "I must be brave, I must be strong") to tell of Ruby's adventures.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Miriam Latimer. A father-daughter grocery run turns into an action-packed occasion when the daughter's "fantastic" sneeze sets off a chain of clumsy events. Amidst the canned-good chaos and finger pointing, Dad helps get things under control. The energetic rhyme is filled with onomatopoeia, exclamations, and clever wordplay that will delight read-aloud audiences. Colorful and lively acrylic illustrations include fun-to-find collage details.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Miriam Latimer. "In a faraway kingdom, a long time ago, / When bedtime drew near, the Prince shouted, 'No!'" So the king and queen try their darndest to get him to fall asleep; in the end, a bedtime story does the trick. Latimer's illustrations have plenty of energy (much like the wide-awake prince), keeping perfect pace with Oppenheim's silly rhymes.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger